The Other Tour

Istanbul Like You’ve Never Seen It Before

Tourism is often a facade—a neatly packaged version of a place that hides its complexities, struggles, and soul. The Other Tour is the opposite.

Since 2011, we’ve been taking travelers beyond the postcard views of Istanbul and into real life—the classrooms, markets, homes, and streets where the city’s heart beats.

We don’t do scripted sightseeing. We don’t follow the usual tourist traps. We bring you into the lives of real people.

How We Make an Impact

🤝 Meeting Real People, In Their Real Lives

Forget staged cultural experiences—our guests meet Istanbul through its people. You’ll:

👉 Sit down for tea with Turkish Jews from Adana, hearing stories you won’t find in history books.

👉 Visit local artisans in their workshops, learning about crafts passed down through generations.

👉 Step into a music class with young kids in a nonprofit school, witnessing firsthand the power of art in underserved communities.

👉 Eat in the home of a Turkish mother, where the conversation is as rich as the food.

This is not just a tour. This is access to the soul of a city.

🏫 Supporting Public Schools & Kids’ Education

👉 We visit public elementary schools, where travelers interact with students, play games, and share stories.

👉 A portion of every participation fee (€50 out of €300) goes directly to these schools—we’ve donated projectors, supplies, and even organized field trips so kids can see their own city beyond their neighborhood.

👉 We arrange Bosphorus cruises for kids—giving many of them their first experience on the water.

🎶 Engaging with Local NGOs & Cultural Projects

👉 We visit organizations like Music For Peace Foundation, where kids from underprivileged backgrounds receive free music education. Guests don’t just watch—they join the class, play instruments, and donate.

👉 We are in ongoing collaboration with Seeds of Peace, developing cross-cultural projects that bring Turkish, Greek, and Armenian children together through shared experiences.

🏛 Preserving History: Byzantine, Armenian & Syriac Heritage

👉 We collaborate with various NGOs, supporting the restoration of Byzantine, Syriac Orthodox Christian, and Armenian heritage sites in Turkey.

👉 We visit these locations, meet the experts working on them, and discuss why these histories matter.

🥕 Shopping in Street Markets & Cooking at Home

👉 Instead of overpriced tourist restaurants, we take you to street markets (pazars), where you shop alongside locals buying their daily produce.

👉 Then, we head to our family home, where Ayşe Karataş (mother of our founder, Fethi Karataş) welcomes you.

👉 We cook together. We eat together. We share stories. This is true Turkish hospitality.

🕌 Honest Storytelling About Turkey’s Diversity

Istanbul isn’t just one culture—it’s Greek Orthodox (Rum), Armenian, Jewish, Kurdish, Alevi, and so much more.

👉 We visit these communities, talk about their histories, their struggles, and their modern realities.

👉 No sugarcoating. No nationalist narratives. Just real conversations.

💰 The Only Tour That Refuses Kickbacks

Every other travel agency in Istanbul takes commissions—meaning they bring tourists to shops, push them to buy things, and pocket huge hidden cuts (sometimes 30–50%).

👉 We don’t. Never have, never will.

Most guides think we’re crazy. We just think we hold on to something better!

🧭 Off-Beat Travel & Uncomfortable Conversations

👉 We promote destinations no one else does—hidden villages, underground art spaces, stories ignored by mainstream tourism.

👉 We don’t avoid tough topics—we discuss politics, history, and the realities of modern Turkey.

If you want a polished, Instagram-friendly version of Istanbul, this is not your tour.

🎨 Supporting Artists, Writers & Scientists

👉 We actively promote contemporary artists, filmmakers, musicians, and scientists shaping Turkey today.

👉 We’ve published articles on bird-watching, chess, disappearing communities, art exhibitions, cinema, and more.

🌍 Sustainability & Responsible Travel

👉 We promote eco-conscious travel and sustainable tourism.

👉 We create spaces where locals and travelers actually interact.

Join Us for a Different Kind of Travel

The Other Tour isn’t just about seeing Istanbul—it’s about feeling it, questioning it, and leaving a positive impact.

If you want a tour that sells you postcards and clichés, this is not for you.

👉 If you want to meet the real Istanbul—its people, culture, struggles, and beauty—we’d love to have you.